PolitiFinder

1988 California U.S. Senate Election

California · 5 candidates · See every 1988 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1988 California U.S. Senate Election?

Pete Wilson won the 1988 California U.S. Senate Election. Pete Wilson received 5,143,409 popular votes (52.79%). The main challenger was Leo McCarthy (44%).

See the full head-to-head between Wilson and McCarthy

Wilson +8.8 pts · won by 856,156 votes
Pete WilsonRepublicanWINNER52.79%
5,143,409 votes
Leo McCarthyDemocratic44%
4,287,253 votes
M. Elizabeth MunozPeace And Freedom1.71%
166,600 votes
Jack DeanLibertarian0.82%
79,997 votes
Merton D. ShortIndependent0.68%
66,288 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. Senate elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.